Boredom might have been a problem for North Carolina earlier this season, but it wasn't an issue Tuesday night against Miami at the Smith Center.
With guards Kendall Marshall and Dexter Strickland setting the pace by attacking the basket, UNC won 73-56 and stayed unbeaten in ACC play. The victory was in hand by halftime.
The Tar Heels took a 59-38 lead into the final 7:43 after Strickland sped down the floor for a layup after one of the Hurricanes' 17 turnovers. Miami did not make a threatening move after halftime. UNC took a 40-25 lead into the intermission and built the margin to 48-25 in the first three minutes of the second half.
"I think we did a great job of matching their intensity at the beginning of the game," Strickland said. "Everybody came out aggressive and ready to play."
And for Strickland, a resident of Rahway, N.J., the game was a little personal because of his friendships with Miami guards Durand Scott and Malcolm Grant, both of whom are from New York.
"I'm from the neighborhood," Strickland said. "I've grown up by always playing with them. Durand and I used to go at it, and Malcolm as well. It was fun to be out there tonight."
The victory gave UNC a 15-2 record overall, 2-0 in the ACC. The Tar Heels extended their Smith Center winning streak to 28 games and their campus winning streak to 29.
Miami, which lost to North Carolina for the ninth consecutive time, fell to 9-6 and 0-2 in its first season with Jim Larranaga as coach.
Strickland scored 14 points for UNC and made seven of nine shots from the field. Marshall finished with 12 points, most coming on layups when he sliced through Miami's defense, and made eight assists.
Marshall scored at least 10 points for the first time since March 20, 2011, in an NCAA tournament victory against Washington 20 games ago. Strickland's 14 points tied his season high.
"It was big for me and Kendall to step up and knock down our shots," Strickland said. "Usually teams don't expect Kendall to drive. They expect him to pass. Him getting to the rack opens the floor even more for everybody else."
Tyler Zeller had 16 points and 10 rebounds for UNC, and John Henson scored 11 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.
Kenny Kadji led Miami with 16 points. Winston-Salem's Reggie Johnson contributed 12 points and nine rebounds.
North Carolina took control by closing the first half on a 24-8 run in the final 10:28. The run, which began on Zeller's six-foot hook shot, wiped out Miami's 17-16 lead.
The lead was 24-19 when the Tar Heels scored on the first eight of their last nine possessions of the half. UNC generated its last 16 points on the possessions while Miami went scoreless for the last 3:11 of the half.
The lead steadily grew after Miami's missed shots. Marshall's six-footer from the left baseline built the margin to 10, and two minutes later, Henson's dunk made the difference 15.
Of all the firepower in UNC's lineup, Larranaga least expected the biggest damage to be inflicted by the guards.
"Kendall Marshall was very, very sharp," Larranaga said. "He was able to find the open man regularly, but he was aggressive going to the basket himself.
"He had several layups that you're hoping your guards can stay between him and the basket, but we were not able to do that often enough."
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